(Photo credit @stilclassics)
#careertip
One of the biggest challenges I see for my clients in their job searches is staying organized, when you have multiple applications out, you’re networking with all types of people, and then juggling interview prep + offer timelines. Most people are job searching while still working a full-time job & doing all sorts of other personal projects. And job searching in tech & startups is already a non-linear process – so adding structure on your side will help you feel more in control & help reduce stress.
When you look for a tool(s) to support you in keeping organized, there are 4 important steps to keep in mind:
Track everything: You will need to keep track of (a) all of your job applications and (b) all of the people you engage with (whether during networking or the application process). Then you can use that data to identify your conversion ratios (from application to 1st interview, from 1st interview to 2nd interview, from cold email to networking call, etc).
Develop your process steps + cadence: Most jobseekers send out a flurry of applications or networking emails & then wait for…ever. You should plan to stay proactive wherever possible, and make sure to outline a specific process whereby you keep these tools updated and you have a cadence for follow-ups.
Build in time for analysis + reflection weekly: If you’ve done the first two things, you’ll have some good data to analyze your job search process. What has worked well? What hasn’t worked well? Try to stay objective here – I have had multiple clients who immediately assume that no response means no interest. Stepping back, it’s easier to observe that the company just got a round of funding and might be overwhelmed with processing the flood of applications. Then, you can decide how to strategically raise your profile to a recruiter, via a referral or a direct InMail or some other option.
Ask for objective counsel: We all stress during a job search. Am I a good fit? Will this be the right next move? Did I apply to too many places? Or not enough?? This is where a coach or a networking contact can be helpful. A networking contact can help give you insider information about the company you are applying to or in process with (for example, the recruiting team is overwhelmed or there is a hiring freeze, etc). A coach can help you stay objective while processing that new information & help you evaluate your best next steps. We can also help you assess your overall process, so you can stop worrying & rely on the strategies & processes you’ve built.
Now, let’s look at some specific suggestions on tools you can use to stay organized, depending on your level of time and investment.
Simple
Best: Google Sheets
We all have gmail accounts & Google Sheets make it very easy to have 1 tab for tracking applications, 1 tab for tracking people, and 1 tab for tracking your stats. It’s also accessible on any device to make updates on the go. And it’s free.
Runner-up: Paper or Excel
For some, just using 3 simple pieces of paper will help you get started without getting lost in trying to build out the best-ever job search application tracker. And for some unknown reason, others like to use Excel (ugh).
Intermediate
I love how clean Notion looks and how easy it is to add various kinds of objects to a page (like a database on the same page as a bulleted list). It’s also free. You can find job search and CRM templates in their Template Gallery. My only drawback is that it has limited integrations, so you will need to visit it daily to view tasks (vs having them appear in your Google calendar). Todoist is a great, clean task manager. It has multiple integrations to other tools/platforms to help keep you in sync.
Runners-up: Coda, Airtable, Trello
I’ve used all of these at some point. Coda has online docs but seems more geared towards teams/enterprise these days. Airtable has always felt just a bit too complicated to build upon. And Trello drove me nuts with only having the one view of my work (the kanban) vs offering the ability to toggle between multiple views.
Deluxe
I have found the holy grail of personal CRM tools after a long & arduous search of the entire Internet. Dex is an incredibly simple, powerful & affordable personal CRM platform. It is a YC19 graduate & the founder is very responsive to product feedback. I use Dex to track my people engagement and Clickup as my project tracker. I love how flexible Clickup is. And while it can be overwhelming at first to navigate all the features, I’m happy to share a job search template if you’re interested.
Note: I highly recommend both of these tools because of the features they offer, not so that I can make any $ via my referral links. But if you like them as much as I do, it can’t hurt to share a hat tip for the info.
Runners-up: Relatable
With the shutdown of my former CRM Contactually, I was invited to join Relatable’s beta. While I enjoyed the intros feature and the focus on building a personal (not business) CRM, I wasn’t a fan of how it displayed your follow-up tasks. Others are raving about it so I wanted to share (tip: mention you used Contactually and you’ll get off the waitlist quickly).
Others to consider
Project Trackers: Asana, Monday, Smartsheet
